A Day Lost Forever

By Salvatore M., Auburn, NY

It was a normal Tuesday. I got up, took my shower, dressed and headed off to school. I went to homeroom, and first through fifth periods went as usual. I ate lunch during sixth. I slept in seventh, study hall. And Pre-Calculus class eighth just seemed to fly by.

The school day was over and I had only one meeting before I went to football practice. It was for Italian Club. The meeting was to form the club and discuss plans for a possible trip to Italy. During this meeting I was voted president of the club, which surprised me. I figured that with that happening, this would be a really great day.

After the meeting, I called my mother to ask her for a ride to practice. She drove me and when she dropped me off, I thanked her, saying I'd see her after practice. I headed into the locker room to get ready for practice.Then I sprinted to the practice field so I would not be late.

From this point, my mind is blank. I cannot tell you what happened. The next thing I remember is lying in a hospital bed - in the emergency room. I did not know why I was there or how I got there. What had happened? Why was I here? Why can't I remember what happened?

As I laid there, I looked around. I knew where I was. I knew who I was. I knew that my mother and sister were there. I asked them questions. They gave me answers,.I asked more questions. Then I askcd the same questions over and over again. How old am I? Seventeen. Am I a senior? What happened? We don't know. I swear I am reliving this. Do I have a girlfriend? Yes. Has this happened before? No. Who is my girlfriend? Has this happened to me before? No. How old am I? You just asked that. I swear I am relivmg this. I asked the same questions over and over.

A doctor came and left without saying a word. The needle and tube that had been in my hand was no longer there. Next thing I knew, I was outside walking to the truck. Then I was home. I took off my football pants, told my parents that these weren't my sneakers, and I went to bed. My mother checked on me three times that night even though I only remember one.

To this day I still do not remember most of Tuesday, September 23, 1997. I do not remember starting practice, warming up, or doing defensive drills. I can't tell you who hit me or if I got water after drills. I can't tell you about the ambulance ride to the hospital or what they did to me in the ambulance. I do not remember going into the Emergency Room, or having a CAT scan. All I do know is that I had a concussion. The one thing I do know is that I will never know what happened that day. It is lost forever somewhere in my mind, never to be found. tf